The year 1638 saw the publication of The Man in the Moone by English bishop Francis Godwin. In this utopian fantasy tale, humans travel to the Moon by harnessing a flock of specially trained, especially hearty geese, vacuum of space be damned.

The realities of physics haven't stopped artist Agnes Meyer-Brandis from training a flock of geese to someday fly to the Moon. Thanks to rigorous astronaut training exercises and plenty of acclimation to a crater-pocked lunar model, an invincible generation of astrobird should be ready for an expedition by 2024.

Finally, she constructed a control room in Liverpool to monitor her brave astroflock from afar. You can watch their disgustingly cute progress above, and behold some equally "d'aww" photos below.

An installation detailing the Moon Goose Analogue project will be on display at Newcastle's Great North Museum: Hancock through March 31, 2012. For more information about this groundbreaking experiment, visit the MGA website and The Arts Catalyst, who funded the exhibition on Agnes' lunar endeavor.